As it stands, the Calgary Flames could say they don’t have salary cap problems — that is provided they’re willing to go with exactly 12 forwards, seven defencemen and two goalies all season and don’t suffer injury problems.

Make that pretty much no injuries at all.

Oh yeah, that’s a roster without defenceman Ian White — the restricted free agent who’s due a healthy raise from the $850,000 cap hit of last NHL season.

That’s also a roster without any rookies, including top prospect Mikael Backlund.

The math adds up — only the formula makes as much sense as calculus. (At least to yours truly.)

That means Flames GM Darryl Sutter has some stickhandling to do between now and the Oct. 7 season-opener in Edmonton.

The good news for Sutter — and the rest of Flames Nation — is he can possibly undo the salary cap knot.

It’s certainly not one which will require the kind of stripdown we’ve watched transpire with the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks or even unique tap-dances pulled off by teams such as the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers in seasons past.

If the Flames can deal away a defenceman or two — say Cory Sarich and/or Steve Staios — for a young roster player, a draft pick or a prospect, things will become much easier for the GM.

If Ales Kotalik decides it is best to just remain in Europe, that could also make the salary cap situation more manageable.

(Not that anyone should praise Sutter should that happen, since the team would still be on the hook for millions of real dollars, which makes the trading and reacquisition of Olli Jokinen such a curious turn of events.)

If — and we hope this doesn’t happen, let us stress that — Daymond Langkow’s slowly recovering neck injury doesn’t come around and becomes career ending or even just a long-term injury situation, that will save the club as much as $4.5 million against the cap.

Anybody planning on starting a betting pool of which scenarios transpires?

Something has to happen.

In a perfect world, the Flames would discover one or both of their top young defencemen — Matt Pelech and John Negrin — to be ready for full-time NHL duty. That way they can make a deal from their surplus of rearguards.

They already have seven blueliners inked to one-way contracts — a list which includes Staffan Kronwall, who spent much of last season in the minors, but not including White.

If Sutter is sincere in saying he will allow a youngster to push out a veteran, and he can find a taker for one or more of his vets, it will make his salary situation easier.

At forward, though, things become much more dicey.

Assuming Langkow recovers fully, Kotalik and Backlund are the most curious pieces to watch.

The Flames want Backlund in the mix but not as a top-line centre and not on the fourth line. He comes with a cap hit of nearly $1.3 million.

Kotalik left Calgary at the end of the season vowing to rebound for the Flames. Since then, he’s gone through waivers with no takers. That may add more ammunition for the Flames to try convincing him to see whether a Kontinental Hockey League team is interested in his services. They still have to pay him, but it won’t count against the cap.

It would also allow the club to add another youngster — the most likely being restricted free agent Brett Sutter — but centre John Armstrong is a darkhorse candidate if he is finally healthy after suffering the shoulder problems of the past two seasons.

The Flames are obviously prepared for a scenario without Langkow. They would have Jokinen, Stajan and Backlund up the middle and can hope either a youngster steps up or even re-sign Craig Conroy for a fourth-line role.

A day after brokering the deals which brought four forwards to Calgary, Sutter said he wanted to let the marketplace “flatten out.”

Wise move. Once teams take stock of what’s left in the free agency pool, a player such as Sarich or Staios may be more attractive to somebody.

Who knows? Maybe a club may consider targeting Robyn Regehr, if the Flames are interested in moving their bruising blueliner and he’s willing to move.

Sutter’s not done wheeling and dealing. And he’s more likely to move roster players out for picks and prospects.